


Now the Real Nightmares Can Begin...

by cosmicoyote



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Bad Dreams, Chat Blanc confession, Chat's nightmares, Comfort, Cuddles, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Ladybug's Nightmares, Night terror comfort, Nightmares, Part 1 is Marichat, Part 2 is Ladrien and Ladynoir, Post Chat Blanc, Sleeplessness, assurance, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23202250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicoyote/pseuds/cosmicoyote
Summary: Chat can't sleep, so he sneaks over to Marinette's house in an attempt to see if a change of scene will help him get some rest. Unfortunately, the terror Sandboy brought to Paris was only a few nights ago, so nightmares are not in short order.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 10
Kudos: 219





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Marichat
> 
> Marichat
> 
> MARICHAT
> 
> Delving into the love square, everyone! This one-shot takes place towards the end of season 2 before Heroes Day.

"I swear, if you roll over on me, kid, I _will_ bite you."

Plagg's irritated voice punctuated the darkness of Adrien's bedroom, and this did nothing to help the fact the teen was struggling to fall asleep.

It had only been a couple of nights since he and Ladybug had fought Sandboy - an akuma that forced the citizens of Paris to face their worst nightmares in the waking world. As Adrien, he was trapped behind bars and unable to escape his room, while as Chat, he squared off with a Ladybug who hated his guts.

Both had been scary, not to mention traumatizing for him, but since that night, his nightmares had only become worse. The dreams became even more tainted and caused Adrien to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, convinced he was incapable of escape. What was worse is he couldn't remember the dreams at all. It was if the minute he opened his eyes, all memories of the night terror evaporated.

Adrien sighed and rolled to face his kwami, knowing the little cat was curled up on the pillow beside his own. "Sorry, Plagg," he murmured. "I just can't sleep."

"Count sheep then," Plagg grumbled.

He winced. "I tried."

The kwami huffed. "Drink warm tea."

"I tried that, too."

Plagg grumbled impatiently. 

"Did you lower the room temperature, so you can have a comfortable blanket?"

Adrien rustled his comforter. "Got it."

"Did you meditate?"

"Yes," Adrien answered shortly. "While you were having your third helping of Camembert."

Plagg hummed happily at the memory then cleared his throat. 

"Fan on?"

"Yep."

"You haven't touched your phone, have you?"

"Not since Nino texted me about the homework I missed at the end of school today." Another freaking akuma during school hours- just what he needed. Luckily, he had great friends to help him keep up.

"How's your diet been lately?"

"I'm a _model_ , Plagg!"

"Right, right. Umm," he paused then let out a huff. "I've got nothing, kid."

Adrien turned onto his stomach and sat up to turn on his lamp. "Isn't exercise supposed to help you sleep?"

The sudden light caused Plagg to hiss and squint his green eyes as his cat ears flattened in irritation. "I think so," he grumped. "You plan on running laps around your bedroom?"

"No," Adrien murmured, an idea forming in his mind. "I was thinking about... taking to the Parisian streets."

The kwami turned over and curled his tail around his body. "No way! I'm settling down for my beauty sleep." He buried his face in his paws and smirked a little. "Not that I need it or anything, but I like my cat naps."

"Please, Plagg. Just a few stretches." He laid down with his chin on the pillow next to Plagg. When the kwami didn't budge, the model pulled out the big guns and did something the cat had taught him himself: kitten eyes. 

He was better at pulling them off as Chat Noir, but he was effective enough as Adrien. The look didn't work on his father or Nathalie, but the embodiment of destruction was not so immune.

Luminous green irises met his, looking unimpressed at first, and he closed them stubbornly. However, the damage was done, and it was only a matter of time. After grumbling and rolling around several times, Plagg shot up and hovered in front of Adrien's nose.

"Fine! But I get another helping of Camembert for breakfast tomorrow!" He crossed his little arms and twitched his tail.

Adrien grinned. "Deal!" He jumped up and pumped his fist. "Plagg, claws out!"

Now encased in his leather cat suit, the dark hero sprang from one roof to the next. Breaking out of his room wasn't hard since there was a remote chance of anyone caring enough to check in on him, so he wasn't worried about anyone finding out he had left his bed. The thought was depressing, but then again... His life had always been like that. He was almost always alone when he was at home.

Chat shook off his melancholy then did a few tricks with his baton and even used an advertisement for the new Adrien fragrance as a spring board to launch into back flips. He rolled and felt the beginnings of joy in the feeling of air rushing passed his face and hair.

Landing lightly, he chuckled and put his baton at the small of his back securely before sprinting at the blown up image of his face. There was something immensely satisfying about ricocheting off his image's nose and leaving faint dirt marks on the surface. His boots left little cat paw prints on the photographed Adrien's face. They wouldn't be visible to a passing car or pedestrian, so he didn't see the harm in his antics.

Until he overestimated his strength.

Chat was actually starting to feel his muscles tire a bit as he used his baton to catapult himself upward, using the extra power the miraculous gave him in his arms and letting the stick give him a higher arc. He whooped happily as he twisted to lift the stick over his head to point down and catch him just before he hit the board. He planned to collide with the metal surface feet-first then slide down the poll as it braced on the roof beneath the advertisement. 

That wasn't exactly what happened.

He was the opposite of his Lady Luck, after all.

Chat's grip slipped, and he wobbled, making a much lower jump than he intended. To avoid swinging his baton and smashing some innocent sleeping Parisian's windows in the flats below, he retracted his baton and held it in his left hand. He had just managed this when he collided face-first into his own image.

Groaning, Chat opened his eyes, his skull feeling thoroughly rattled after hitting the hard surface. He pulled back to jump down, but he felt resistance and looked down at his left hand. 

Oh, no. 

His baton had jammed right through the metal as if it had been paper. He yanked it out and grimaced at the small hole his weapon had made in perfume ad Adrien's face. It looked as if he had given himself a mole in his chin... or he had an unfortunately large blackhead. Either way, this damage was much more obvious than his boot prints.

And to put icing on the cake, he heard a voice yell, "HEY! WHO'S UP THERE!?"

His stomach dropped, and Chat Noir scrambled over the board to hasten a retreat away from the scene of the crime.

He made sure to put several blocks in between him and the damaged advertisement (which he admittedly wasn't that regretful about). Once he was at a comfortable distance, he slowed and stopped at the peak of a brick chimney. He crouched and panted, trying to catch his breath as the adrenaline faded from his veins.

"Ladybug's going to _kill_ me," he muttered to himself. If she ever found out about the damaged board, she would know exactly who had caused Adrien Agreste's image to suddenly look as if he had been overzealous in popping a nasty zit. She would kill him then bring him back to life to take another of his nine lives away.

He snorted at the thought then gripped the metallic chimney openings as he looked around. This block felt... familiar. A glance across the street confirmed his suspicions: Françoise Dupont high school was visible among the illuminated street lamps.

That meant he wasn't too far from Marinette's. 

Or he was... right on top of... her house? Chat Noir looked down and smiled a little as he spotted the familiar balcony. He dropped down on impulse and looked around at the lounge chair and tucked away tea set. What if he just took a short cat nap here, and nobody would be any the wiser?

Was it weird of him? Yes, but nobody could see from the street, and Marinette was sound asleep beneath him. Maybe her scent could bring him comfort. After all, he was more catlike in this form - being fused with Plagg and all. He relied on his nose a little more, and she... She was one of his closest friends. After the events of Glaciator, he felt even closer to her. Both of them had drawn comfort from one another with their mutual broken hearts. He still hadn't asked who had broken her heart...

Chat slowly walked over to the chair and braced his leg to swing it over and curl up against the fabric. He would just rest here and try and calm his chaotic brain. Afterwards, he would go back home and, hopefully, drop off to sleep to finally get some rest.

He was just getting ready to settle down, when he heard movement below him. His cat ears twitched on top of his head, and he was instinctively leaping onto the balcony rail and crouching defensively before he could think of what the noise meant.

A moment later, the trapdoor opened, and a pajama-clad Marinette poked her head out.

His heart was racing from being startled, but he felt relief wash over him like a warm bath when her fear and defensiveness softened into a confused smile.

"Chat Noir? What are you doing up here?"

His cat ears flattened against his head as he lowered his gaze guiltily. "Uh... I was just..." He gestured lamely at the chair then sighed. "I was just resting. I'm so sorry if I woke you." Hunching his shoulders, he found he couldn't meet her eyes. He felt ashamed for being caught prowling on her roof like a feral alley cat looking for food. It probably didn't help that he was crouched on her railing with his tail hanging behind him.

Her footsteps were quiet against the wooden floor of her balcony. A warm hand reached up to touch his shoulder lightly. When he didn't pull away, she lifted her hand higher to brush strands of blonde hair out of his eyes. More warmth shot through him, and it took a majority of his self-control not to purr.

Slowly, his green eyes lifted to meet her blue ones. Her eyebrows were scrunched in concern. "I can't see your eyes very well, but I can tell you're tired." She looked sleepy, too, but then again... he had just woken her up. "Are you not sleeping well?"

She knew him better as Adrien, and yet, she just knew something was off about him. She was attentive to people and their emotions, and he had seen it for himself. Whenever a classmate was having a bad day, Marinette was usually the first to know and was quick to offer her help.

Chat swallowed then shook his head sadly. "No... I couldn't fall asleep, so I thought a little rooftop run would help me relax."

"Did it work?" she asked.

He shook his head again, his wild hair whipping around his masked face. "Not really."

"Have you talked to your parents or...?"

Chat recoiled from her as if she had tried to strike him, and he saw her eyes widen with surprise before softening again. "I see," she murmured. Of course she did. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not... not really." He hugged his knees, still balanced on her railing much like he had weeks ago before he fought the ice cream monster determined to turn Parisians into soft serve. "But... ever since the Sandboy akuma..."

Understanding lit up her features and she grimaced. "Ugh. Yeah. I can... relate to that one."

"He brought your nightmares to life, too?"

She shuddered at the memory. "Gosh, yes. I still have flashes of them in my sleep." She hugged herself. "It's been a little while since I got a full night's sleep myself."

Chat scooted closer and lowered his head to meet her bluebell gaze. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Princess."

She smiled softly and flicked the bell at his throat. "I'm fine. I listen to soft music before going to sleep, and it helps a lot."

He harrumphed. "Why didn't I think of that one? I had a fan, I was meditating, reading, and I even turned down the temperature in my bedroom so that I could have a comforter in late summer." He crossed his arms.

"You sound like you've tried everything," Marinette told him, looking perplexed. "None of them worked?"

"No..."

She stepped back and opened her trapdoor. "Come on in."

He blinked at her then slowly lowered his legs to the ground but did not make any move to get closer. "Are you... are you sure?"

" _Paw_ -sitive," she answered slyly, and his face broke into a grin. He had been so tired, the puns hadn't even been coming to him.

"Thank _mew_ very much, _Purr_ -incess," he murmured, walking passed her and slipping inside.

She snorted and followed him as he slid down her ladder to the floor of her bedroom. She closed the trapdoor then joined him on the floor. "You can rest on the chaise," she murmured as she slipped down the much larger trapdoor that lead to the living space below. "And keep quiet! My parents are sleeping," she added in a sharp whisper.

He mimed zipping his lips shut, locking them, then throwing away the key.

Marinette gave him a dry look then sighed and disappeared below into the living room.

Chat circled the couch and ran his gloved hand over it. It was long enough for his taller frame to fit comfortably.

He felt bad about waking her up, and she was offering him a place to sleep instead of getting mad or trying to get him to go home. He wondered if his reaction to her asking about his parents prompted her to invite him in.

Marinette returned with blankets and a large pillow. She laid the pillow down at the head of the couch then held out the blanket to him. He took it and looked at her timidly. 

"It's okay. Just try and leave before my parents check on me... which is normally after my third alarm."

"'Third'?" he repeated, chuckling as she flushed a little and pouted. "Not a morning person, Princess?"

She prodded his bell again and bumped him with her hip. "Not even a little, so you better be outta here before I wake up."

Chat smiled and laid down on the couch, pulling the borrowed blanket over himself and up to his chin. "I will. Cat's honor."

He looked up in time to see her smiling gently. "Goodnight, Chat."

"Goodnight, Princess."

She climbed up into her loft bed, and he rolled over. He closed his eyes and inhaled, catching the scent of cookies, tea, and Marinette. Her scent was something he noticed most while transformed, but he got subtle hints as Adrien. He was grateful for his enhanced nose because, like he had hoped, her scent calmed him.

Sooner than he ever would've going home, Chat Noir feel into a deep sleep quickly...

But it would not be a peaceful one.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

_"Let me through! Out of the way!"_

_Chat was shoving his way through a crowd of people who had gathered just beneath the Eiffel Tower. A blind terror was propelling him forward to see what had caused the scene to form, but his heart told him it wasn't good._

_Hushed voices buzzed around him, murmuring things he couldn't decipher. All he cared about was getting to the center of the gathering._

_All he knew was there had been an akuma fight and something... something had gone wrong. Very wrong._

_Chat finally pushed to the front of the crowd and saw just what everyone was staring at and talking about._

_Ladybug, his partner, his crush, and his best friend was lying motionless. Her body was bent at an awkward angle, and he could see head trauma above her brow._

_"L-Ladybug?" he stammered, approaching her prone form and kneeling beside her. She didn't react, not a twitch or anything. "Ladybug?" he asked again, more insistently. Still she did not respond._

_Chat grabbed her shoulder and shook her, but she just rolled limply in his grasp. He gasped as he felt through his glove that she was cold... much too cold._

_Tears gathered in his eyes, and he blinked rapidly in an attempt to hold them back. "M-M'lady?" he whispered, sitting and pulling her body into his lap. He laid her pale face against his shoulder and brushed her black hair from her mask._

_Her eyes didn't open, and he couldn't be reassured by their bluebell sparkle. He touched the side of her neck where life should've been beating strong and true under his touch..._

_But there wasn't anything. No throb of life. Nothing._

_"B-Bugaboo?" he whispered brokenly, gently caressing her cheek with the back of his clawed fingers. "Bugaboo, wake up!" He put his forehead against hers and shook all over, deaf to the voices around him as he begged her to stir and be alive._

_"Ladybug, wake up!" he wailed, his voice cracking as his emotions poured out of him. Hot tears rushed down his cheeks when she did nothing but remain as limp as a ragdoll. For all appearances, she looked to be asleep, but she was too still and too cold..._

_"Bugaboo, please wake up!"_

_He sobbed and rocked back and forth, holding her protectively against his chest._

_"D-Don't leave me! Open your eyes!"_

_His heart was destroyed. His partner and not-so-secret love was dead and gone, and he was alone. Completely and utterly alone._

_No more smiles to warm his heart; no more fighting villains and protecting Paris; no more late night patrols; no more victorious "pound it!" celebrations after defeating an akuma._

_"LADYBUG!"_

_His world spirled out of control around him, and he was alone in darkness - alone with his pain and his misery._

_Alone._

_Just like he had always been, but it was so much worse. Ladybug's light, the very aura of her that gave off happiness, life, and hope was extinguished._

_And Chat sobbed - his lungs aching and his heart in pieces._

_Because his lady was gone. She had left him alone in this cold world where he rarely felt any sort of love or even affection from anyone. Seeing her had been the highlight of his day or even his week._

_Now she was gone, and he would never feel that warmth again._

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Marinette was awoken to the sounds of sniffling and whimpering. After being forcefully woken up earlier by Chat Noir prowling on her balcony, she was not thrilled to be pulled from sleep for a second time in one night, but she sat up and blinked sleepily.

The source of the sounds had her freezing, staring in silent panic as Chat Noir thrashed on the couch below. The blanket was on the floor, and he was writhing as if in pain and muttering incoherently in his sleep.

Tikki was hovering over Chat's head despite the possibility he could wake up at any moment and spot her. She saw Marinette was awake and flew up to her. 

"Marinette! He's been doing this for a little bit now. I can't get him to calm down or wake up." Her blue eyes were full of concern.

At once, Marinette was jumping down and hurrying over to her distressed partner. She sat down behind him and cringed when he jerked, his sharp claws slashing into his pillow and leaving five deep gashes in the casing. Feathers fluttered free as he shoved the pillow to the floor.

Careful to avoid his claws, she shook his shoulder. "Chat!" she hissed, terrified his sounds would wake up her parents in their bedroom below. "Chat, wake up!"

He twitched and then hunched over, wrapping his arms around himself and trembling as if he were a stray cat left abandoned out in the rain.

Marinette put a hand on the back of his head, and his trembling slowed very slightly.

"Shh," she whispered soothingly. "Easy, Kitty." Her hand slid through his hair over his cat ears. She always found them cute, but she never dared say that to his face. She would never hear the end of it.

He was muttering something, but she couldn't make out his words. She leaned over him and heard his faint pleas.

"D-Don't... leave me... m'lady."

She gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. Oh, Chat...

Tikki's eyes were shining as she looked at her owner. "Marinette..." she murmured, sounding close to tears herself.

Marinette nodded and laid down behind him, mostly so she could hold him but partially so his claws didn't do to her skin what they had done to her unfortunate pillow.

She wrapped one arm around his chest and slid her opposite hand into his hair, knowing the contact was like a sedative to him; he just melted into a puddle whenever he had his ears rubbed.

"It's okay, Kitty. I'm here... I'm here."

Chat whimpered, and his belt tail wrapping around her ankle. She didn't panic but rubbed his shoulder and cautiously over his stomach. He curled up for a second then slowly relaxed as she moved to his back. The leather was warm and felt thin, so she was sure he felt her touch. She knew about their magic suits, but it was different touching him for this long without her own suit forming a second barrier.

"Shh, everything's okay, Kitty," she breathed in his ear.

Tears were streaming over his cheeks, and she carefully wiped them with her thumb.

His next words broke her heart and threatened tears of her own.

"Don't die, Bugaboo..." He hiccuped, and she felt the muscles in his back clench as she hugged him closer. "D-Don't leave me alone..."

Marinette held him close like a lifeline and then reached around until she felt his twitching hand. She grasped it, and it was if an electric current shot through her from her tormented partner. She gasped but didn't let go. The sensation was over quickly, and Chat was no longer thrashing.

She pressed her head to his shoulder, reassured by his heavy breathing.

The fact that his dreams had escalated to this worried her. She hoped he would seek help from her as Ladybug if things got worse, but she was definitely going to find a way to ask about his nightmares as Ladybug. Marinette would think of something. If this was happening regularly, how were his parents or guardians not helping him!? He had seemed more tired than usual earlier. She had to guess he was experiencing similar terrors every now and again at least.

His nightmare of her hating him seemed almost comical at the time (save the gigantic scythe that nearly cleaved them in half), but this... this was heartbreaking to witness.

Marinette made a silent promise she would redouble her efforts to reassure him that she would always be by his side - whether it was to protect Paris or just remind him that they were more than partners; they were friends and would always support one another no matter what.

"I won't leave you alone, Chat," she murmured as his breathing slowed and became more even. More peaceful. "I'll never leave you." She snuggled against his back and just held him, her one hand interlocked with his and the other petting his hair until she, too, fell asleep.

Neither one of them were disturbed by bad dreams for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to write more upbeat one-shots. x'D
> 
> I'll add that to the list - something fluff and HAPPIER!
> 
> I used a random prompt generator, and it was basically offering bad dream comfort. I always thought Chat's "worst nightmare" was dorky and sort of shallow until I watched "Ladybug" episode, so maybe he thinks they're pretty well protected and unlikely to get seriously hurt.
> 
> Or he's just a teenage bb who isn't thinking that deeply.
> 
> I lowkey wanna write a part 2 where Marinette has haunting dreams about Chat Blanc because there's now way that hot mess didn't shake her up. I'll have to think of something in which she falls asleep somehow as Ladybug or glosses over dreaming about him being akumatized as Marinette. I dunno. I'll think of something! ♥
> 
> Anywho, feedback and kudos are always appreciated! Thank you so much for reading my fics! It means so much, and I get excited seeing people not only reading but enjoying my writing! :3
> 
> UPDATE
> 
> Part 2 has been added.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fast forward several months, and we have Ladybug being haunted more than ever by nightmares. The star of these terrors? A certain cat in white...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, part 2 with LB having her own turn at sleepless nights.
> 
> Sweet Ladrien with a Ladynoir chaser. ♥

The night was quiet, but something was buzzing in the air - a tingle one couldn't place unless they knew. If they knew about the impact the last couple of weeks alone had had on the city.

Ladybug stood on the top of Notre Dame, her blue eyes taking in the skyline of the city she knew and loved. The city she had fought so hard to protect for so long... And had nearly doomed it and the rest of the world by making such a big mistake.

Her hands clenched at her sides as she observed Paris alone. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, stirring her pigtails and making the ribbons in them flutter.

She was still, and anyone who happened to observe her from the ground (if they had the sense to look up) would think she was merely keeping watch over the sleeping Parisians. She was Ladybug, just being the protector she swore herself to be the day she got her miraculous. Just the same old Ladybug doing her usual nightly patrol.

And they would be wrong.

Under her red and black polka-dotted mask, Paris's heroine had heavy bags under her eyes as if the lack of sleep was physically weighing down on her skin. The last couple of nights had given her maybe a handful of hours of sleep in total. Stress was a contributing factor, but the major problem lies with her dreams or, more accurately, her nightmares.

Even though she had had the help of Bunnyx and prevented the literal end of the world, Ladybug still found herself waking up from troubling and disturbing dreams of being trapped in a world where... _he_ was still around.

Despite saving her sweet partner from being under Hawkmoth's control, she still was haunted by those terrifyingly mad eyes. The eyes of Chat Blanc.

Ladybug's shudder had nothing to do with the nighttime wind. She tiredly rubbed at her eyes then pulled out her yo-yo. If she didn't move soon, she would fall asleep standing up. That would be an ironic end - her plummeting to the ground to become a polka-dotted grease spot. Ugh.

That got her to jump and swing away from the illuminated cathedral - her destination unknown even to her. She just needed to spend some time pondering then maybe she could rest at long last.

She found herself in the more upscale neighborhood and landed lightly on a roof. She blinked down across the street at some soft blue lights. Some trees obscured what appeared to be a garden. Curious, she swung over to land lightly on the roof of the house the garden belonged to.

Ladybug blinked in wonder as she took in one of the most gorgeous gardens she had ever seen in her life. She saw roses, tulips, and more, but what drew her eye was the very center of the display.

A marble statue was framed by an arch to protect it from the elements. The statue was that of a beautiful young woman with her long hair tucked over her shoulder. She appeared to be wearing some sort of suit, and she looked sure of herself but also soft and sweet at the same time.

Ladybug smiled and, before she could rationalize her actions, she hopped down and landed in front of the statue. Something was... familiar about her face. She knew she had never met her, but she had to have seen an image of her or... something.

She stepped up to the statue and touched the ivory cheek before stepping back, failing to dig through her memories to remember where she had seen the woman's face... 

She shouldn't be here, but something about the place gave her peace. She blinked and looked around at a bench placed in the shadows and out of sight of the lights. She dragged her tired body over the bench and curled up as she looked out at the beautiful flowers, their fragrance soothing her in a way only they could. Though she joked about Chat Noir having cat tendencies, she found that the only ladybug-like actions she displayed were her love of flowers and her sensitivities to cold weather.

Smiling a little, Ladybug closed her eyes. She would just rest here and take in the scents of the night to entice a more peaceful sleep. Maybe with the calm atmosphere, she could chase off nightmares and get some much needed rest.

Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy, even if she was Lady Luck.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

 _She was sprinting across a bridge, her lungs on fire from having run so many blocks and over hundreds of rooftops. All her mind was focusing on was putting as much distance as she could between herself and_ him _as she could._

_Ladybug stumbled to the center of the bridge, the night too still and too silent. Her heart was throbbing so loudly in her ears, she couldn't pick up on much else. She doubled over, hands on her knees as she struggled to get the air flowing through her lungs. Her legs ached, and so did her heart._

_Through the fog, she heard a deep growl she felt in her stomach. The sound sent panic arching through her spine - yanking her up straight. She gulped and darted her gaze around, but she couldn't see anyone. Her yo-yo was pulled from her hip as she twirled it, though she knew it would do little to stop him from tearing into her._

_Another growl, much closer, and Ladybug narrowed her eyes as she strained to see through the eerie fog that encircled her._

_"C-Come out and f-face me," she stammered, too tired to run any longer, but she couldn't give up. She needed to save him. Or die trying._

_Then, finally, she saw him. He was walking at a casual pace towards her, his baton held loosely at his side. The familiar and yet foreign cat ears were pushed towards her with interest, and his boots barely made any sound against the wood beneath their feet._

_The eyes are what locked in her place - like a deer caught in the headlights. They were so bright, they stood out in the dark like mini search lights hoping to find her and freeze her on the spot. They were blue, but it looked as if they had been sucked of most of their color - the most watered down blue that barely had any pigment. Barely any feeling._

_"Ch-Chat," she stammered, trying to reach out to his old self - the part of him that loved to make lame jokes, tease her, and always had her back. "It's me. Y-Your Ladybug."_

_He grinned maliciously, and the expression didn't suit him which is why it was that much more horrifying. She had seen that face laughing, smirking, looking nervous, and even crying but this..._

_"You are mine," he growled, his bleached white tail twitching behind him. "You're my prey!" Then he leapt at her._

_Ladybug just managed to put up her yo-yo to shield herself as his staff struck down. The force of their collision sent them both stumbling back a few feet, but neither had been knocked down. Chat Blanc snarled furiously and threw himself at her._

_Time was irrelevant as they squared off. She was forced to use her fists and legs against him as he, too, used his longer limbs to strike blow after blow against her. His claws narrowly missed taking her nose off as he swiped at her face. That was a low blow, so she countered by kicking him straight in the stomach._

_She remembered a time when she had rubbed his stomach in an attempt to comfort him during his bad dreams. They were supposed to be partners and caring for one another - not fighting like this._

_Hawk Moth was to blame for this, but she couldn't even get passed Chat's battle abilities in order to even attempt to free an akuma. Plus, it didn't help that Chat Blanc relished taunting her and making her feel as if insects were crawling on her skin._

_"Poor little bug," Chat sneered as she threw herself back to catch his heel as he attempted to roundhouse kick her in the chest. "All alone with no one to help her."_

_Her breathing was heavy as she shoved his foot to the side, and he finally staggered. She moved in and tackled him to the ground. After a vicious struggle in which her tried to bite and kick, she held his arms against his back. They both breathed heavily as she held him firmly._

_"W-Where's the.... akuma?" she panted as she kept him pinned on his stomach. His legs shuffled, and his tail lashed at her her legs, but she ignored the sting for the sake of keeping him down._

_"N-Not telling!" Chat rasped, still struggling against her hold._

_Then she remembered that the akuma had been in his bell before. She removed one hand from his wrist to make a grab for the little bell at his throat that she secretly found endearing, but she wasn't fast enough. Chat Blanc got his arm free and pushed down on the bridge. He yelled, "Cataclysm!" and the bridge simply broke apart in chunks as the wood around them all but dissolved from his boosted power._

_They fell with a yell down down down..._

_Then they hit the water, and the icy temperature engulfed them. She struggled and kicked as Chat swerved under water and paddled towards her - a ghostly figure standing out in the dark water. He lunged at her - his lips drawn back in fury as his razor sharp claws reached for her face-_

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Adrien was awoken by a light tugging on his shirt collar. He grunted and rolled over. "Not yet, Natahlie," she grumbled.

"I ain't that witch of a secretary!" Plagg squawked indignantly. "Get up, kid! We have a problem!"

The model groaned and sat up, rubbing at his eyes and brushing his blonde hair out of his face. "What is it, Plagg?" he asked thickly, putting his hand over his mouth as a yawn overtook him.

"Looks like Ladybug decided to crash in your back yard," Plagg said, sounding smug but also a little nervous. 

"WHAT!?"

He shot out of bed as if his rump had been set ablaze, and he was up against his floor-to-ceiling windows to make sure Plagg wasn't pulling his leg.

Plagg wasn't.

Ladybug was curled up on the garden bench below, apparently in a deep sleep. He had to crane his neck to get a decent look at her since she was under some of the trees, but there was no mistaking that red and black getup. 

"What is she doing here?" Adrien asked his kwami as the little cat perched on top of his head.

"Beats me," Plagg said quietly. "She doesn't look... hurt."

An icy fist clenched on his stomach. What if she was? He should go check on her... He bit his lip as Plagg snuggled into his hair. "What if she is?"

"Then go check on her, kid." Adrien felt Plagg leave the rat's nest that was his bedhead and hover towards the bed. "I'm going back to bed."

He didn't argue because it would be awfully suspicious if Chat Noir just happened to find her in Adrien Agreste's backyard. 

The night was warm, so he simply pulled on his shoes and slipped down the steps. He moved quietly through the dark house, his footsteps slow and deliberate. Sometimes his father worked late into the night, and Adrien strained his ears to pick up any sound from his father's office, but he heard nothing. No light was on, which he could tell be glancing at the bottom of the doors.

Adrien gulped and moved to the back set of double doors that led into the garden. He slowly pushed on the doors and then closed them behind him, thankful they weren't creaky. He quietly moved down the steps towards his resting partner. When he got close, it became obvious she was asleep. Her eyebrows were turned down as she frowned in her sleep, and she turned onto her side when he was just a few feet away.

Why the bench of all places? It was no doubt not very warm or remotely soft. He had taken catnaps in the garden before, but he brought a blanket and relaxed in the grass in a patch of sunlight. Plagg had teased him about being a cat boy.

He knelt and moved to touch her shoulder and ask if he could help her. With or without the mask, they were friends. Despite the fact he knew she loved another, he would be there for her no matter what.

But before his fingers could make contact with her shoulder, she recoiled and whimpered in her sleep. He froze in fear as she twitched and gripped her arms.

"Let him... Let him go," she whispered brokenly.

Adrien gulped and leaned forward a little to catch what she was saying in her sleep.

"Leave him alone!" her snarl was raspy but still relayed how angry and... scared she was. She must be dreaming about her mystery boy. He could only imagine how furious his Lady would be if anyone had the audacity to go after the boy she loved.

If he hadn't been so close to her, he wouldn't have caught her next words.

"Chat! Snap out of it!"

He froze, unable to even blink or swallow. She was dreaming about... about him!? As Chat!?

Ladybug dug her fingers into the bench and clenched her jaw. "Please, Kitty! Fight him! He can't control you! Fight. Him!"

Adrien's body woke back up and he sat down on the bench behind her tucked feet. He reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. He shook her just hard enough to make her body shift on the bench.

"Ladybug! Ladybug, wake up!" he said, just loud enough to be a speaking tone. He was still being wary of his father or Nathalie hearing him.

She whimpered and gripped her hair.

"Ladybug," he murmured, too scared to call her by her nicknames he had bestowed upon her within days of them meeting. 

For whatever reason, she wasn't waking up. She continued to thrash as if in physical pain, and as the time ticked on, he grew more desperate.

Adrien got up and grabbed her wrists to prevent her from tearing her hair out.

Throwing his caution in regards to waking up his father to the winds, he said in a firm voice, "Ladybug! Open your eyes!"

Bright bluebell eyes shot open, and he sighed with relief. Ladybug was panting as if she had run a marathon, and he could see clearly that tears were dripping down her cheeks.

He frowned and pulled back so that she could sit up. Once she did, he scooted over on the bench, but Ladybug was moving closer as if seeking comfort. He gulped, feeling her warmth through his pajama shirt all the way down his arm to his leg beside where hers rested.

"Were you... having a nightmare?" he asked hesitantly as she calmed her breathing. "I-" he winced and rubbed his neck. "Not that it's any of my business. I was just worried, so I..."

Ladybug smiled weakly as she made sure her eyes were dry. "It's okay, Adrien. You're sweet." She looked down and hunched her shoulders. "I just... was reliving an old nightmare."

"Wh-What?" he stammered.

She wrapped her arms around herself and gulped. "It's... It's about... Chat Noir."

His stomach knotted. What could have happened? Sure, they were a little tense right now with his constantly being rejected and her conflicted feelings with this 'mystery boy' she kept bringing up, but they weren't... fighting.

"Oh? Did he... do something?" he asked nervously. Without the mask, his courage was greatly depleted. 

Ladybug chewed her lip. "No... not at all. He's a great partner, and he's... he's my best friend."

His knotted stomach unraveled rapidly, and he felt a warmth replace the icy dread that had begun to form. "Oh? I always figured you two were close."

She smiled sadly. "Yes... sort of. As close as two people with secret identities can be, anyway."

Adrien smiled and pulled his leg up to hug it to his chest.

"I trust him and everything, but something happened recently, and I haven't been able to talk to him in private about it."

He winced and looked over at her. His mouth was dry, so words failed to form. What happened?

Ladybug seemed reluctant to talk more, so he sat in silence for a little bit. If she didn't want to talk, she didn't have to. He just wanted her to not be sad. He wanted the world for her and all the happiness it could offer... even if it meant he wasn't her love. Even if it meant they weren't meant to-

"He gets akumatized," Ladybug blurted out.

Well, that wasn't what he expected. Adrien sat up and nervously held out a hand for her comfort. To his intense relief, she took it and gripped it tight. 

"Chat gets akumatized?" Adrien asked hoarsely.

Ladybug gulped. "Yes. In my dream, he's akumatized into Chat Blanc."

He felt the blood leave his face. "But... he's never been akumatized for real... right?"

She bit her lip, and his heart dropped. No, surely.... _surely_ he would've remembered being akumatized. Well, the aftermath, anyway. There was no blank space in his memory; no feeling of being angry and out of control. There's no way he had been.... was there?

Ladybug shivered, and he put an arm around her without thinking. With apparently the same amount of awareness, she leaned against him.

His heart was beating so hard, he would be shocked if she didn't hear it. Touching her as Chat was a pleasant enough experience, but as Adrien, he was at a disadvantage as being just himself with his vulnerability hidden but somehow harder to contain. She was just so amazing, and he had been nursing a crush on her since day one.

He had been hoping that time would allow his heart to break away from her and maybe be open to someone else. He also thought after being rejected so much, it would be easier to move on. He had been mistaken. Very much mistaken.

"He... he didn't... not exactly. I sort of... prevented that from happening."

Adrien came down from his cloud nine, and looked at her with widened eyes. "You... stopped him from being akumatzied!?" he squeaked.

She nodded and hid her face in her hands. 

He wasn't sure what to feel. Should he be angry that she kept this from him? He was definitely hurt. There was no mistaking that, but... She was so upset and clearly traumatized enough to be having horrible nightmares over it. Adrien set aside his own confusion to comfort her.

"Do you know what made him... so mad?" Adrien asked timidly.

"I... I don't," Ladybug mumbled. "Not for sure. Have you... read the Ladyblog?"

He blushed. "Um... yeah, a few times."

"The bunny hero Alya posts about... she can jump through portals of time. She pulled me through one, and he was... he was Chat Blanc."

Adrien swallowed hard. "So... this was the future?"

She nodded again. "I fought him... then I went back and prevented the akumatization."

His heart was beating a painful tattoo against his ribs. 

"But... Chat Blanc haunts my dreams... He was the exact opposite of Chat Noir... of my kitty." The last three words were a hushed whisper, but he caught them. His face flushed.

Ladybug shook her head hard and rubbed at her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm dumping all of this on you, Adrien. I'm just scared of hurting Chat's feelings."

He chewed his lip then squeezed her shoulder. She looked up at him, and... he could've sworn her cheeks were just as red as his. "I'm sure you won't hurt his feelings, Ladybug," he said softly, his eyes meeting hers.

She tucked her hair back timidly. "You... You think so?"

"For sure." He rubbed her arm, pushing his daring behavior, but she relaxed under his touch. "I... I have a feeling he'll be a little hurt, but I think he'll also be relieved you opened up to him."

Her eyes flickered, and she sniffed. "I trust him, but the last thing I want is to hurt him. He's been through so much already as my partner, but he's so upbeat. I can't imagine what could cause him to be... turned into a villain."

He couldn't think of anything. Even his father had pushed his buttons on more than one occasion, and kwamis knew he had been rejected by Ladybug enough. His heart had been bruised and broken, but he was able to bounce back because, at the end of the day, he just loved being by her side. If she saw him as just a friend - so be it.

Unfortunately, it was much harder for his heart to move on than he would've thought. Despite trying to reach out to others and explore his feelings, his heart kept returning to the girl beside him. If only they knew each other outside of the mask... He had been tempted more than once to just tell her, but then... what if she hated him for betraying her? No, she couldn't hate him, but she would be angry and hurt for compromising his identity.

Ladybug smiled at him and turned to face him. "Thanks for talking to me, Adrien... and waking me up."

And she kissed him on the cheek.

His heart was about to gallop out of his throat.

Ladybug stood up and stretched her back out. "You should get back inside."

He nodded, still starstruck and unsure if his tongue would work properly. He had to swallow and force out, "Have a safe trip home."

She beamed at him. "Goodnight, Adrien." She took off, swinging out of the yard on her yo-yo and into the night.

"Goodnight, m'lady," he murmured, his hand lifting to touch his cheek.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

A couple nights later, Ladybug was feeling more like herself. She wasn't a zombie, anyway. Her talk with Adrien had lifted some of the heavy weight off of her shoulders.

Talking about Chat Blanc had made him less of a threat. She no longer shared her burden on her own after releasing some of the tension. Sure, Adrien Agreste only had a small insight as to what the miraculous involved after the disaster with Desperada, but she had felt comfortable enough venting to him. Despite her conflicting feelings between him and Luka, a majority of her heart still belonged to the blonde model.

Ladybug paused on top of the Eiffel Tower. The sun had just set, so the sky was a beautiful mix of orange and pink. It was warm enough that she would even consider ice cream. She smiled as a soft breeze shot up and caressed her face like an affectionate kitten.

And speaking of kittens...

Soft footfalls approached from below her. She paused, considering telling her not-so-sly partner that she could hear him, but then she decided against it.

Ladybug slowly put her hand on her yo-yo like a gunslinger in an old western. Her fingers even drummed against its surface while she began calculating where he would pop up. Surely, he would attack from behind like the sneaky kitty that he was, but leaping into her face would give her a real fright.

Hmm....

Just as she thought, his purposefully quiet (but not stealthy enough) footsteps were right behind her. She smiled to herself, and affection for her partner swelled up inside her, making her heart lighter than it had been in weeks.

He knew how she felt about goofing off and not taking their jobs seriously, but on a night like tonight... she found it hard to care. She was feeling better, and hopefully after they had a heart-to-heart about her nightmares, she would feel like herself again.

Chat was nearly behind her, and she thought she caught the faint whooshing of his belt tail.

Any second now...

He stopped, but before he could do anything else, Ladybug whipped around and flung her yo-yo out. Chat yelped as the string from her weapon twined around him, binding his arms to his sides.

She smirked. "Caught ya, Kitty Cat."

He smiled at her, and her heart thrummed. "You sure did, Bugaboo." He frowned suddenly, and his leather cat ears pushed out. "How did you know I was here?"

"You're not as stealthy as you may think, my kitty." She walked up to him, still tied up, and flicked the bell on the neck of his suit.

He huffed at her, his lip jutting out in an adorable pout. "I guess I have to work on my sneaky skills then." The cat hero flexed his shoulders. "Can you let me go now?"

Ladybug smirked and crossed her arms. Much to her delight, this made his eyes widen a little in panic like she would actually leave him like that. 

"Dork." She tugged on one of his cat ears affectionately then clicked her yo-yo, pulling the line back in. The moment he was free, he sighed in relief and rubbed his arms.

"I need to talk to you about something," Ladybug said, dropping her playfulness. "And it's kinda serious, so I need you to pay attention, Kitty."

Chat blinked at her then slowly nodded and walked over to her as she sat with her feet dangling down. They were at one of the highest points of the tower tourists weren't allowed to get to. Even if it weren't evening, nobody would disturb them.

"What did you wanna talk about, LB?" he asked her as he joined her, his arms resting on the guardrail and letting his tail hang down beside his long legs.

She bit her lip, chewed it, then looked over at him. "Chat, do you remember telling me a few months ago about your nightmares? Right after Sandboy."

He recoiled, his shoulders pulling in as he was reminded of his night terrors. She had seen for herself how tormented he was after suffering many sleepless nights. She hated opening old wounds, but she needed him to understand what she was now feeling.

"Um... yeah. I sometimes get the nightmares again, but... only after bad days." His clawed fingertips tapped on the metal under his arms. "Why?"

"I'm... I'm having my own nightmares now," Ladybug said bracingly. "And... they involve you."

She glanced at him. His luminous green eyes were focused on the skyline ahead, and his mouth was a line. "Did I... Did I do something bad?" he asked quietly.

Ladybug reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "No, Kitty. You didn't, but it involved you... getting akumatized."

His slit pupils looked sideways at her. "Do you know why or how?"

She shook her head. "That was... never clear. But you... as an akuma..." she couldn't suppress her shudder as if icy water was trickling down her spine.

Chat scooted closer and then leaned over the rail to meet her eyes, his cheek on his arms. "Was I that terrible?"

Ladybug nodded, and his eyes flickered with several emotions she couldn't read. "You were the exact opposite of... of my kind, gentle, and dorky partner." She reached out absently and ruffled his hair. To her relief, he giggled and then leaned into her touch. She gave him an affectionate scratch behind the ear then dropped her hand so they could both focus.

She tucked her hair back as the breeze blew the loose strands around her mask. "If it makes you feel any better, he was still throwing terrible cat puns at me while we fought."

He snorted, and she shook her head. "But other than that, he was the exact opposite: he was cruel, relentless, and... and he was..."

His warm hand came up and enclosed over hers, gripping it securely and telling her without words that he was there for her. This simple but tender gesture was what allowed to center herself and confess the rest.

"He called himself Chat Blanc," she told him. "His suit was white, and so was his hair." She gave his blonde locks and soft glance before continuing. "He was angry and heartbroken, but it was never clear... how he was akumatized." She swallowed hard. "I didn't tell you because it was so scary, and I wasn't sure how to tell you."

"It's okay," Chat told her quickly. "We go through hard stuff, and it's healthy to vent. We have bad dreams that let us relive..." he paused as he caught sight of her face. She must be as pale as she felt. "This... this wasn't just a dream... was it?" he asked slowly.

Ladybug blinked hard, tears threatening her. She looked at him again. "N-No..."

He flattened his cat ears, looking indignant. "Are you saying I was akumatized, and I don't remember... not remembering the aftermath?" he demanded.

She shook her head. "It's... it's more complicated than that."

"How complicated?" he asked her, hurt and anger in his voice.

She could only sum it all up with one word... or one name. "Bunnyx."

His eyes narrowed. "When?"

"Shortly before Miracle Queen."

"I don't know how everything happened because Bunnyx was trying to keep secrets, but..."

"What does Bunnyx know?" Chat asked, anger receding, but real panic showing.

Ladybug snorted. "Well, for one, she knows my secret identity, which threw me a little. I think she also knows yours..."

He gulped and tucked his feet in. "She... didn't..."

"No. She told me she knows how to keep a secret, and I believe her." Ladybug turned her hand over so that she could grip his more securely. "We're safe."

Chat Noir watched her closely. "Why didn't you tell me right after it happened?"

"Because I was scared... and confused, and parts involved... involved _him_ , and I wasn't sure how things were connected."

He frowned at her. "By 'him' you mean your crush? The boy you love?"

Warmth entered her face, and Chat watched her closely. "Yes..."

"I messed up, and then I fixed it," Ladybug told him firmly. "That's... that's all that matters. The world is in tact, and everything is back to normal."

"Except you're not sleeping," Chat pointed out.

"No, because Chat Blanc likes to live in my nightmares." She stretched. "I... I told someone about it a few nights ago, and it helped."

He tensed. "Someone... other than me? Or one of the other people who know about miraculous powers?"

She lowered her lashes, unable to look at him. "I gave him a miraculous... once. It... it didn't go well, and I think it hurt him." She smiled in spite of herself. "You know him. Adrien Agreste."

Chat harrumphed. "So... you told Adrien Agreste but not... me?" he faltered on the last word.

Ladybug gripped his fingers. "I... I fell asleep in his garden. It was an accident, and I didn't mean for it to happen. He was just there..." She smiled in spite of herself. "He's incredibly sweet and caring. If someone had fallen asleep in my garden, I would be more afraid or think they had lost their mind, but he just... He was there and..." she shrugged. "It just spilled out because he was kind and understanding." She turned to look at him...

...and blinked when she saw his own cheeks were rather rosy.

"What?" Ladybug demanded.

Chat fidgeted. "Nothing. I've just never heard you talk about someone like that before."

She flexed her legs and swung them out a little. "Yeah, well... He's a good person." She looked down at her feet. "I trust him."

There was a moment of silence, and then Chat murmured, "More than me?"

She looked up and let go of his hand to shove his shoulder playfully. "I don't trust anyone more than you, silly cat. Well, apart from my parents, maybe, but that's different."

Chat moved until they were touching along their arms and legs, shoulders brushing. She put her head on his shoulder and sighed, now feeling nearly weightless from the amount of guilt she had shrugged off.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you right after it happened," she told him in a hushed voice. "I was scared of hurting your feelings or... I dunno. I was just... scared." She blinked hard. It was difficult for her, the Miraculous Ladybug and Heroine of Paris, to admit such weakness - even to her partner. Even to him, she wanted to appear strong and collected at all times. She felt if she faltered, their entire dynamic would be thrown off. She wouldn't be the strong and protective superhero.

His arm came around her, holding her close and rubbing comforting circles into her back. "It's okay, LB. I'm glad you told me now."

She leaned more into him, and she heard his sharp intake of breath when she snuggled against his side. "Thank you for always being there for me, Chat."

"Anytime, Little Bug." She felt his head drop down on top of hers. He was warm, and his scent mixed with his body heat allowed her to be lulled into a peaceful rest. The last thing she heard before her eyes closed was the sound of her partner's soft purring under her ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTP = Ladynoir ♥
> 
> Thank you all for the response to part 1! It's what pushed me to write part 2. I try not to write longer fics because they tend to get off track. Oops.
> 
> Feedback and kudos appreciated as always! (:


End file.
